National spirit the key to bouncing back from quiet year

Last season marked a downturn for David Pipe, his habitually powerful Pond House yard returning its lowest score since he took over the licence from his father Martin, so when the verdict is 'could do better' the next step is to ask how that might be achieved.

"We've updated the facilities over the summer," says Pipe. "We resurfaced the grass canter with Wexford sand and installed a new water walk-through, to cool down tendons and ligaments after exercise."

Success in the Grand National – ten years on from Comply Or Die – would render any season a triumph, and Pipe may be two- or three-handed at Aintree. However, the sense of this being a transitional campaign is hard to escape, and although Pipe may well improve on last season's results it could be a little while before normal service is resumed.